Top 5 Cost-Effective Ways To Go Green At Home

Eco-friendly, sustainable design is important to me.   Making the decision to go green in your home lowers your impact on the environment and saves you money.  It's a win/win, and if you've spent any time on my blog, you'll know that reducing, re-using and recycling are things I do a lot.  When independent green contractor and co-author of Fair Marquit Value, Sam Marquit sent me an email asking to write a guest-post on my blog on the subject of environmental sustainability at home I happily consented!

Top 5 Cost-Effective Ways to Go Green at Home:

Businesses and even homes have a huge impact on our planet. What is encouraging is that more and more people are beginning to embrace sustainability. This is extremely important and the benefits are twofold. Not only will you be doing your part to protect the environment, but also going green is very cost effective.

There are many ways you can go green at home and with the projected growth in the industry, there will be even more ways in the future. We are all trying to translate the green practices we implement at the office to our own homes and many ways are easily

1)  Install a programmable thermostat in your home and use it to set your home's temperature a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to reduce energy consumption and save on heating and cooling costs.

2) Install compact fluorescent light bulbs when your older incandescent bulbs burn out. Fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs. They also last 10 times longer and help save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb’s lifetime.

3)  Conserve water. We have an opportunity to see water conservation practices first hand, as we are always travelling to Las Vegas for businesses. Many facilities including the hotels and casinos implement low-flow showerheads. Implementing this feature in your home will lower your water bill as well as heating bill too.  Also make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances
conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.

4)  Make your own non-toxic cleaning supplies.  Another fact that is important and sometimes overlooked is how harmful conventional cleaning supplies can be. You can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon and soap. As indoor air quality is extremely important, making your own cleaning
supplies saves money, time and packaging.

5) Adding extra insulation to your home can be extremely beneficial for both the environment and your wallet as it can lower heating and cooling costs. Another trend gaining popularity is “up cycling” where people are taking used and worn out items and finding new uses for them.

These are just a few simple ways that the average homeowner can make a difference for the planet and save money.  As the industry continues grow, new and more efficient ways to save and go green will be coming to market.  It is an exciting time to go green and with so many embracing sustainable living, I’m excited to see the future of the green industry.


BIO: SAM MARQUIT
I am an entrepreneurial independent contractor and home renovation/remodeling expert in New York. I’ve made it a point to share with my readers a day in the life of sustainable building. Forecasting the possible application and implementation of new green building materials and technologies is just one small part of my effort to reduce everyone’s carbon footprint.